Ceiling suspension clasp hook



Feb. 19, 1952 w. J. HAERTEL CEILING SUSPENSION CLASP HOOK Filed Aug. 25, 1949 l I [I Patented Feb. 19, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,586,327 CEILING SUSPENSION CLASP HOOK William J. Haertel, Oak Park, in.

Application August 25, 1949, Serial No. 112,287

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to ceiling suspension means particularly useful with pre-formed paneling such as gypsum wall board or other panels which may present a surface for the finished ceiling more particularly in present day concrete building construction.

Among other objects, the invention aims to provide improved and simplified ceiling suspension means that readily and effectively secures the paneling to the rails commonly suspended from the concrete of the usual rough ceiling, the expedients here contemplated avoiding the use of tools, nails or extraneous fastening devices, and effecting economy of labor and material while contributing to a structure which may have desirable insulation and sound absorption properties.

In an important aspect, the invention includes hanger clips which are spring locked to the ceiling rails and which have spaced apart flanges for directly engaging the paneling as well as supporting panel support runners, the.v runners cooperating to maintain the clips in position on the paneling.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, of an illustrative embodiment of. the invention, and in which drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of ceiling suspension means following the present invention, looking thereat from above and just below the usual concrete ceiling;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and here. showin v a part of the concrete ceiling;

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial perspective view, showing suspension means embodying the present invention;

Figure 5 is a reversed view of the hanger clip embodying one aspect of the invention; and

Figure 6 is an assembly step view indicating the initial placing of a hanger clip on a rail.

Referring in detail to the illustrative construction shown in the drawings, the numeral H (Fig. 3) represents the usual concrete ceiling that may have embedded therein, at intervals, rail supporting fastenings such as, at I 2, pairs of wires I3 to support the metal rails I 4 which in well known practice may extend for full length across the ceiling ll uniformly spaced therebelow and suspended therefrom by means of the wires 13. Each pair of wires may be twisted together as at 15 to carry the rail. As here shown, the rails l4 are of channel formation and disposed with their channel facing laterally.

In accordance with -the present invention hanger clips I 6, one of which is shown separately in perspective in Fig. 5, are readily assembled with the rails M by being manually hung thereover at appropriate intervals such as presently indicated. Each hanger clip l6, as here shown, is advantageously struck out of sheet metal and comprises an upright leg [1 and an overhanging arm 18 which are coplanar in that they are formed by striking out the parts therefor from fiat sheet metal stock and thus disposing the leg and arm in predetermined angular relation. Advantageously, the arm l8 may be continued downwardlyat its outer end for a short distance as-a hook element l9.

At its lower end, the-leg I! of the clip I6 is integral with the clip base 20 which is extended in the direction of the arm 18 and is here shown bent and reverse bent upon itself, in a direction at right angles to the plane of the arm and leg, to provide a pair of spaced apart overlapping flanges 2| and 22 with an upright bight portion 23 therebetween. The lowerfiange 22 is preferably extended out from the plane of the arm and leg portions on each side thereof so that the latter desirably occur in a somewhat median plane extending longitudinally of the lower flange 22. l w 1 Following the present invention, the clip base 20 at its end adjacent the outer end of the arm l8 has struck out integrally therewith, and all initially in the fiat as previously referred to, a somewhat triangular upwardly extending tongue 24 which afterthe clip is formed as described is bent out of the planeof the leg ll and thearm l8, as shown in the drawings, to provide a spring tongue which acts as a yieldable closure or lock for the space 25 within the confines of the clip parts. This space 25 is conveniently substantially just slightly larger than the cross sectional dimensions of one of the rails Hi.

When now, as previously mentioned, the clip I6 is hung over the rail l4, it may be first engaged with the rail as shown in Fig. 6, in a tilted position with respect to the rail, so that the upper flange of the rail is received within the space 25 and with the hook I9 engaged thereover. At this time the lower flange of the rail M will rest on the inclined face of the yielding tongue 24. By pushing the clip farther onto the rail, with a rotative motion (Fig. 6) the tongue 24 is resiliently depressed and the rail disposed within the confines of the space 25, whereupon the tongue 24 springs upwardly to lock the clip on the rail with the clip in suitable upright position as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. The outer edge of the tongue 24 is desirably slanted as at 28 providing a formation in the nature of a cam which facilitates this action when the tongue first engages the rail.

Still further in accordance with thepresent invention, longitudinally extending panel support runner members 2'! are assembled with the clips l5, these runner members being desirably of H shape in cross-section as shown in the drawings thus providing a pair of oppositely facing grooves 28 and 29. The runners extend cross-wise of the rails l4 and may similarly extend the entire distance of the room. When a runner 27 is assem.

bled with a plurality of the clips IE it receives the flanges 2| and 22 and bight portion 23 of the clip base within one of the grooves, such as 28 of the runner.

The wallboard or the like 30 is convenientl of elongated flat panel form, the panels having their longer dimension extending similarly to the runners 27 and transversely to the rails. contemplated, the longer margins of the panels 30 are received both in the bight 23 of a clip 16 and in the groove such as 28 of the runner 27, by a snug gripping fit. The runners 27 thus serveboth to directly'support a panel 30 and at the same time to hold the clip onto the panel, the clip in turn supporting itself, the runner member, and the paneling, on'the rail I4;

Since the-runners 21 provide the oppositely laterally facinggrooves 2 8 and29, the adjacent margin of an adjacent panel 30 may be received in the runner groove 29 and thus be securely supported and held in place without a clip bight 23 engaging this last mentioned margin of a panel. Thus the clips need only engage oneedge of the joining panels while securely supporting both edges as shown.

The runner members 27 may be economically formed from two initially flat strips each bent to channel shape and with their bight spotwelded back to backas at 3|.

Since the panels are commonlynot as longas the runners and are preferably staggered or in break-joint arrangement, adjacent ends of adjoining panels may have disposed therebetween As here 1 It will be understood that any desired finishing material may be applied to the undersurface of the paneling, forming no part of the present invention but for producing a decorative ceiling.

The invention is not intended to be limited to details of construction shown for purposes of exemplification. Furthermore it may not be essential that all features of the invention be used conjointly at all times, since variou combinations or subcombinations may be advantageously employed. Such changes may be made as fall within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the invention.

See also my copending application, S. N. 112,-

288filed'concurrently herewith.

The invention having been described, what is hereclaimed is:

A sheet metal ceiling suspension clip embodying spring-tongue locking means, comprising, a O-shape part including a base portion, an upright leg portion, an overhanging arm portion, and a hook portion depending from the outer end of said arm, said portions being all coplanar, a triangular shape spring-tongue integral with said base and projecting upwardly therefrom obliquely'away from the plane of said C-shape part, said tongue having an outer edge extending obliquely in the plane of said tongue from said base to the apex of the tongue, the apex being substantially in the transverse vertical plane through the inner edge of said hook portion, whereby the tongue outer edge provides a cam for effecting a resilient depression of the tongue when the clip is pressed onto a ceiling beam member by movement in a direction normal to the latter to receive the beam member in the C-shape part in looking engagement, the base of the G-shape part being extended at its lower edge laterally in both directions from the plane thereof to form a pair of overlapping flanges to receive a ceiling panel element.

WILLIAM J. HAERTEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,218,283 Morte Mar. 6, 1917 1,507,652 Youngberg Sept. 9, 1924 1,754,214 Walper Apr. 8, 1930 1,864,965 Venzie June28, 1932 1,891,512 Venzie' Dec. 20,1982 2,302,585. Stamy Nova 17, 1942 2,481,794 Stitt Sept.'13, 1949 

